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They come from all different walks of life but have two main things in common:

They love riding motorcycles, and they have a passion for protecting and empowering children.

Bikers Against Child Abuse, an international nonprofit organization, has a chapter of about 25 members in the Shreveport-Bossier area. The all-volunteer group’s single-minded mission is to help children who have been hurt by the world to live without fear.

“Our sole purpose in existing is to empower children,” said Denise “New Gal” Jones, spokeswoman for the River Cities BACA chapter. “We don’t make promises we can’t keep. We’re there for them.”

"New Guy" and "New Gal" are Bikers Against Child Abuse couple in the Shreveport-Bossier area. BACA stands up for abused children.(Photo: Courtesy photo)

Because they work with vulnerable children, bikers have to pass a background check and undergo mentoring for at least a year by a “patched” BACA member, who acts as a point person and guide until new members earn their own patches.

Then it’s time to ride.

Bikers get the name and contact information for a child from referral agencies or the legal system. Two bikers are assigned to each child and ride out to meet the family. They give the child contact information and a BACA patch and bumper sticker. From that point, the child can call the bikers at any time for back up.

BACA intervenes at four different levels, from visiting the child to having multiple bikers ride through the child’s neighborhood and go door-to-door to make their presence and mission known in a community. Members also will accompany children who testify in court against their abusers.

The group is careful not to cause confrontations or incite violence during rides — but the international website states they will do what is necessary to protect children.

“We stand at the ready to shield these children from further abuse. We do not condone the use of violence or physical force in any manner,” the website reads.“However, if circumstances arise such that we are the only obstacle preventing a child from further abuse, we stand ready to be that obstacle.”

One biker’s story: Meet Squirrel

Christina Verner, a Bossier City resident of more than 22 years, wouldn’t disclose how she got her biker name of “Squirrel.”

“Kids suck you in. They need somebody,” Squirrel said. “They’ll call you when they’re scared. They’ll call you when they have good news and want to share. You’re their empowerment.”

She had never worked with children before, nor did she have children of her own — but she jumped into the mentorship and instruction with eagerness.

She said the training helped her relate to children but could not fully prepare her for the sad stories she often had to hear.

“Sometimes when you leave a ride it can get to you, but you can’t show that to them,” Squirrel said. “There are some cases you can’t be prepared for, but that child having a normal life again depends on you figuring it out.”

Getting children to open up requires time and trust, she said. One of the first children she visited with her father, also a BACA member, stayed hidden in her closet for over an hour before she came out to meet them.

“At first she wouldn’t come out of her house or her room, but at the end, she was sitting in my dad’s lap and asking, ‘Hey, can you be my bodyguard’?” she recalled with a chuckle.

Buy Photo

Christina "Squirrel" Verner rides with a teddy bear given to her by one of the children she's helped empower.(Photo: Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times)

Since becoming a BACA member more than a decade ago, Squirrel has amassed a number of tokens from the children she’s helped. A small teddy bear rides on the back of her motorcycle, and during her interview she pulled out a neon-colored Hot Wheels car she carries around her pocket.

“It’s helped me realize the things I went through weren’t that bad by comparison,” she said. “We’re there to help kids, but sometimes, without their knowing it, they’re the ones who help put us back together.”

Louisiana had more than 44,000 referrals of child abuse in 2014, of which 12,057 were verified child victims, according to the Children’s Bureau. The latter figure represents more than a 44 percent increase from 2010 — with neglect and physical abuse the two most common types.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services reported close to 3,000 cases of verified child abuse occurring in the Shreveport region in the same year.

“We would love the day to come when there is no need for BACA to exist,” Jones said. “We would love to see the day when the child is empowered and doesn’t need us on a day to day basis.”

“When we go out, sometimes their eyes get wide,” Jones said. “We’re big and we’re loud, but the second or third time, they hear the motorcycles coming and they run out to meet us.”

Scott Jones, whose biker name became “New Guy” after children noticed he was a newer biker, joined the group about three years ago because he felt BACA would help him to make a positive impact on a number of different levels.

“Probably my favorite part is when the kids get the courage to testify in court and put away the person who hurt them,” he said. “It takes time. When we visit them, little by little they see that we are there for them and we’re not going to let anyone hurt them.”

BACA recently held a Knock Out Child Abuse 5K race at Betty Virginia Park in order to raise money for both BACA and The Gingerbread House, a nonprofit organization that conducts forensic interviews of children who allege sexual abuse. The run aimed to raise awareness and present a united front against child abuse in the Shreveport-Bossier area.

Scot Boswell, owner of Scot’s All American Cycles in Bossier City, said he’s seen BACA’s positive impact in the community.

“You don’t want to hear about child abuse, but it’s here, it’s everywhere and it breaks your heart. The awareness BACA has created is huge,” Boswell said. “Throughout the years, they’ve made their mark in making the difference for a child.”

BY THE NUMBERS:

900,000 cases of verified child abuse nationwide in 2006

44,246 referrals of child abuse in Louisiana in 2014

12,057 total victims of child abuse reported in Louisiana in 2014

10,300 child victims of neglect in 2014

6,829 cases of child abuse investigated in the Shreveport Region in 2014